Market research about aviation industry (International and domestics market)
International market
The UN predicts that by 2050 two thirds of the world population will live in cities1. How can we adapt and enhance today’s already-stretched mobility system for it to respond to our expectations and increased demands? How can mobility be reinvigorated for it to be sustainable and support the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? For a start, mobility actors should come together in a shared vision. This is where the World Bank-led Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) steps in. For the first time ever, the SuM4All provides the transport sector and its modes of transport with the opportunity to speak with one voice and jointly unpack a Roadmap of Actions that is tailored to countries and cities to implement on a voluntary basis. The SuM4All includes all modes of transport, including aviation. Aviation facilitates access to countries and cities, increases multi-layered efficiencies in travel and makes safety and security in travel top priorities. The aviation sector is rapidly taking gender equality at heart.
In addition, innovation in technology and approaches (e.g. by redefining efficiencies in travel) are essential to redefining mobility. Cutting-edge technology, such as autonomous devices and ultralight materials, creates opportunities to transform the mobility system by enabling new business models and mobility services. Innovations abound in aviation, e.g. unmanned aircraft innovations; artificial intelligence; biometrics; robotics; blockchain; alternative fuels and electric aircraft. Aviation is therefore ideally positioned to support the innovation discourse and its potential impacts on new mobility.
In a little over a century, our industry has gone from learning to fly to learning to fly faster, learning to fly further, learning to fly heavier planes, and now to having 100,000 plus commercial flights occurring around the world each and every day — representing over 400 departures per hour! Aviation has truly has been at the forefront of innovation to become one of the safest and most reliable modes of transportation in the world today
By the mid-2030s no fewer than 200,000 flights per day are expected to take off and land all over the world. Imagine the first video again — but with twice as much traffic!
world aviation aircraft
In 2021 so far, the top 10 aircraft manufacturers are Lockheed Martin, Airbus, Boeing, Raytheon Technologies (fka United Technologies), Northrop Grumman, General Electric, Safran, Leonardo, Bombardier, and United Aircraft Corporation.
A long-time giant of the air industry, Lockheed Martin is likely the #1 position for aircraft manufacturers in 2021, due to their massive revenue.
In 2020, they made an estimated $65.4 billion USD in revenue. Even in spite of the pandemic, this is still their largest year of revenue to date.
Lockheed Martin is an aerospace and technology company, who as well as making aircraft, also specialize in military-grade security, with around 78% of their annual revenue is derived from US military contracts.
They do not make commercial aircraft — only military and security aircraft.
Their most prominent models are the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, built-in collaboration with NASA, and the F22 Raptor, which is exclusively used by the US air force.
The SR-71 is one of the highest-flying planes to have ever been built — i.e., it can fly at a much higher altitude than standard military aircraft. They also built the first-ever ‘stealth’ aircraft, the F117, also known as the ‘nighthawk’.
The company has approximately 114,000 employees as of 2021, and delivers approximately 500 aircraft to buyers per year.
One of its most popular models, the F-16, has an average lifetime of around 8,000–10,000 flight hours.
Lockheed Martin plans to continue to expand the production of the F-35, one of their most popular models in 2021 which services 13 nation’s air forces, after winning a $2.5 billion contract in June 2021, despite complaints that the model is too expensive to keep running.
Airbus
Airbus SE is a European company and the world’s biggest airliner manufacturer. They also manufacture military aircraft and helicopters, though the vast majority of their business dealings are in commercial airliner manufacturing.
They began exclusively as an airliner company, though began to manufacture military-grade aircraft in the 1990s.
For a long time, Boeing was the biggest company manufacturing airliners, but Airbus SE has overtaken them in recent years.
The company is largely based in France, though also has offices and production lines all across the world, including in Canada and The U.S.
The first-ever digital fly by wire airliner plane was manufactured and sold by Airbus, hence why they are one of the best-renowned companies now for making airliners.
Fly by wire means having an electronic interface for the pilot instead of manual controls.
Airbus made approximately $78.9 billion in revenue in 2020, though some of these sales are expected to have dropped off slightly in 2021 due to the lack of airliner requirements during the pandemic.
In 1972, Airbus released the A300, which was the first aircraft to have the digital fly-by-wire interface, as well as a double engine and double aisle within the aircraft.
The A320 was built shortly after using a similar design, and this model is still one of the world’s most popular airliner aircraft to this day!
This model has an approximate lifespan of around 120,000 flight hours. It is also considered to be one of the safest models of airliner in the world, given its long and reliable history of flying.
Other models of theirs which have 0 recorded passenger fatalities are the A350 and the Airbus A380.
As of 2020, Airbus SE have approximately 131,000 employees across the world. Their 12,000th aircraft to ever be manufactured was given to the American airline Delta Airlines in 2019, and they average at around 20 aircraft per month currently, largely due to the pandemic.
They intend to at least double this number by Q4 as travel begins to pick up again following the relaxation of Coronavirus restrictions.
Boeing
Perhaps one of the most recognizable names in the aircraft manufacturing industry, Boeing is an American corporation that sells commercial airliner aircraft as well as weapons systems, satellites, and rockets.
In 2020, Boeing had revenue of approximately $58.16 billion and has over 143,000 employees across all locations.
They began in Seattle by William Boeing in 1916, and quickly became one of the biggest airliner companies around.
In 2018, it was the second largest defence contractor on the planet. It also exports more than any other company in the United States.
Boeing is well known for their 747, 737, and other Dreamliner models, which are among some of the most popular airliner models in existence.
Unfortunately, in 2017, the 737 models were all grounded as a result of two fatal crashes. They have since fixed the issues with this model and are now flying again.
Since then, the company hasn’t been on top of the airliner industry in the same way they used to be. Despite the crashes, they do have other models which have had zero passenger fatalities — the ever-popular 747, and the 787 Dreamliner, for instance.
Sadly, in 2021, the company began to slow the production of the 787 due to forensic investigations into the quality of the planes. There have been multiple reported issues with the model, such as electrical problems and gaps around the forward pressure bulkhead.
Despite this, the company continues to push on in other areas in order to maximize revenue in 2021. They have just sold a new fleet of 737 aircraft to the British airline company, Ryanair, after a few months of delay.
With travel now picking up again after pandemic restrictions are being lifted, they’re likely to continue building back their reputation in the coming year.
Raytheon Technologies
Another US-based aerospace and military defence company, Raytheon, is based in Massachusetts. In 2020, the company merged with United Technologies. Their 2020 revenue was $56.68 billion.
It has approximately 180,000 employees, one of the highest among any of the aircraft manufacturers mentioned in this article. According to reports, over 60,000 of these employees are engineers, which is set to see them grow potentially bigger than some of the other companies on this list.
Its most prominent customer, like many of the aircraft manufacturing companies on this list, is the US military. The company manufactures a variety of goods including military aircraft, cybersecurity methods after their acquisition of Websense, components for weapons, and much more.
One of Raytheon’s most interesting and notable qualities isn’t actually the aircraft that they manufacture, but their unparalleled diversity training.
Following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, Raytheon Technologies implemented a strict training for all employees which relied on critical race theory and educated employees on how to check their privilege.
In a radical move, it also saw them support the defunding of the police in America and reparations for slavery.
Following the merger of Raytheon Company and United Technologies, the Raytheon Technologies company no longer makes entire aircraft.
Most of its role, however, does involve engineering systems and engines to develop aircraft, particularly in a military setting.
At the minute, this mostly focuses on making aircraft more sustainable, as air travel is currently one of the most heavily polluting industries on Earth.
The company is currently pouring its efforts into creating GTF engines with better fuel economy, as well as the creation of a hybrid engine plane which uses half electricity and half fuel to travel.
They’re also working on creating an efficient ‘sustainable aviation fuel’, a form of biofuel which will be used exclusively for powering aircraft. This is particularly pressing in the commercial air travel industry, as the huge airliners require an incredible amount of fuel.
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman is a well established military aircraft manufacturer based in Virginia, United States, and sells both aircraft and weapons.
The company operates multinationally and sells to over 25 allied militaries worldwide. In 2020, the company had a revenue of $36.7 billion. Typically, they average around $30 billion per year.
Northrop has over 90,000 employees, falling a little short compared to the giants such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
On eight separate occasions, they have been the recipient of the Collier Trophy, which is presented by the National Aeronautic Association for achievements in aeronautics and aircraft. This is an impressive feat considering the company was only founded in 1994!
One of these was for the Grumman X-47B, the first unmanned and autonomous aerial vehicle to be used in the US Navy.
The most exciting project on Northrop’s horizon at the minute is the development of the B-21 Raider, in association with the US Air Force. It is a heavy bomber vehicle which will be able to drop bombs from long range.
It is also anticipated to be able to carry nuclear weapons as well as standard bombs.
Recently, they have also begun working on a “hypersonic weapons centre of excellence”, which will be a new factory in its Elkington, Maryland location which sees the design, production, and correct installation of hypersonic missiles and other weapons.
They also recently signed a contract with NASA to explore a fairly experimental studio apartment, complete with enough space for three aircraft, which will go into the Earth’s orbit.
General Electric
GE Aviation is based near Cincinnati, Ohio, and boasts a small 48,000 employees. It is a part of the General Electric family, which is also known for making cars and home appliances.
In the 2020 financial year, GE Aviation made a revenue of $22.04 billion USD. General Electric Aviation do not make their own aircraft, however, they do supply engines, computers, and much more to the big aircraft manufacturers.
This means that their customers include many of the other companies on this list — Lockheed Martin, for instance, and Airbus.
The vast majority of their revenue is derived from making engines for commercial airliner planes. One of their most notable inventions is the GEnx, a commercial engine designed specifically for the Boeing Dreamliner range (the 747 and 787). It is also their fastest selling engine ever designed!
Other popular models of engine by General Electric Aviation include the GP7200, built in collaboration with Raytheon Technologies, which provides the Airbus A380 with the most fuel efficient engine currently available on the market.
They are also heavily present in the military side of aviation, however. Similar to their work on commercial engines, they manufacture jet engines to be fitted into military aircraft.
Some of their latest and best work includes the invention of the Adaptive Cycle engine, which allows military aircraft to travel further, quicker, and longer. The airflow within the engine changes automatically according to the pilot’s flight style at any given moment.
In a similar way to their competitor Raytheon Technologies, General Electric Aviation is also looking to fix the issue of a lack of sustainability within the commercial airline industry. They are currently looking to develop their own sustainable aviation fuel.
Safran
Safran is a French company whose revenue in 2021 thus far has been $19 billion. This is a little smaller than most of the other competitors in this list, though Safran have still done pretty well for themselves, standing up to the potentially oversaturated American market.
The company is the result of a merger between SNECMA, an aircraft manufacturer, and SAGEM, a security firm, in 2005. They now no longer manufacture their own aircraft frames, but instead focus on engines, avionics, airplane interiors, electrical systems, and much more.
Safran SA is considered a world leader of navigation systems for both commercial airliners and military aircraft.
The company employs around 81,000 people, making it a fairly mid-range company on this list.
Most recently, Safran won a contract with Singapore Airlines to outfit their fleet of Boeing 777–9 fleet with carbon brakes and wheels. The French army currently uses 390 of Safran’s unique M88 engines.
One of the most interesting things about Safran is that they are specialists in interiors as well as engine and systems components, unlike many of the other companies on this list.
For instance, the Boeing 777–200LR which is currently being used by Crystal AirCruises, has an interior entirely designed by Safran SA, right down to the in-flight entertainment systems!
Leonardo
Leonardo Company hails from Italy, and in 2020, had a revenue of 13.4 billion Euros. They are a multinational company, though remain mostly based in Italy.
In 2018, Leonardo was the eighth largest military contractor in the world. Founded in 1948, making them one of the oldest corporations on our list of top 10 aircraft manufacturers, the company has around 50,000 employees to date.
This company designs and manufactures commercial and military aircraft, as well as helicopters.
The company built the Eurofighter Typhoon, a military fighter jet, in collaboration with Airbus and BAE systems. As of 2020, there were just over 500 of them in the world. They are used primarily by European militaries such as the British Army, though also have some customers in the Middle East, including the armies of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
They also specialize in cyber security, working with governments and high-level corporations to install security equipment, computers, control panels, etc.
Leonardo even provides exclusive flight training for both their Eurofighter and helicopters — this is something which specifically sets them apart from their competitors.
Like many of the aircraft manufacturers on our list, they also provide space services, such as satellite technologies, parts for Mars rovers, and laser transmitters.
Bombardier
Bombardier is perhaps one of the most well-known names in aviation and aerospace, despite operating at a much lower revenue than the majority of the other companies listed in this article.
The company’s revenue totalled $6.5 billion in 2020. They are a Canadian company who formerly manufactured a wide variety of transportation, such as trains and commercial airliner aircraft.
However, the company now primarily focuses on building business/private jets, making them a unique company in comparison to their peers who mainly focus on military or commercial aircraft design.
Strangely, Bombardier started life as a snowmobile manufacturer, and gradually worked their way up until they began designing and producing buses, trains, airliner planes, and military ground vehicles.
In recent years, one of their most prominent aircraft efforts has been the C-series commercial airliner plane. The aircraft had a rocky few years, however, failing to meet demand and being accused of selling below market price due to Canadian government subsidies.
Following this, Airbus took on the design after acquiring a 50.01% stake in the model, and they now own the aircraft. It has been renamed the Airbus A220.
The company’s efforts now lay primarily in their private jet business. They have three main jet ‘families’ — the Global, Learjet, and Challenger, all of which are top sellers in the private jet industry.
Earlier this year, Bombardier announced that they would retire from manufacturing the Learjet, their smallest jet, as the market demand for them was no longer there. The wealthy are now buying bigger jets, meaning they will focus on their Global and Challenger models.
United Aircraft Corporation
Perhaps the most controversial airline manufacturer on this list is the United Aircraft Corporation, a state-owned Russian firm that produces military and commercial aircraft.
In 2018, their reported revenue was $6 billion. There have not since been any figures released, though it is suspected that they are still a giant within the world of aviation and aerospace.
The company has 100,000 employees, and the vast majority of its military aircraft are made exclusively for the Russian military. However, they do also supply to the Chinese army.
Their first commercial plane to ever fly was the Sukhoi Superjet 100, which was a joint project with Boeing and Sukhoi.
Despite the various sanctions placed on Russia by other governments in the West, the United Aircraft Corporation remains relatively unaffected and continues to sell its commercial and cargo aircraft to Western nations and companies.
For instance, one of its major clients is DHL, which use the Tupolev Tu-204C for the bulk of their international cargo shipments.
In July 2021, the company teased a new military aircraft via their Twitter account, which is said to be a major international competitor. Strangely, the corporation announced it via a ‘meme’ which involved an image from the TV show The X Files.
Reportedly, with the backing of funds from a UAE investment firm, they are also working rapidly to develop a supersonic commercial airplane which will rival the original Concorde. They’ll have to develop it fast, though, as there’s hot competition from competing companies such as Virgin Galactic.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bengaluru, India. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world today. HAL began aircarft manufacturing as early as 1942 with licensed production of Harlow PC-5, Curtiss P-36 Hawk and Vultee A-31 Vengeance for the Indian Air Force. HAL currently have 11 dedicated Research and development (R&D) centers and 21 manufacturing divisions under 4 production units spread across India. HAL is managed by a Board of Directors appointed by the President of India through the Ministry of Defence Government of India.HAL is currently involved in designing and manufacturing of fighter jets, helicopters, jet engine and marine gas turbine engine, avionics, software development, spare supply, overhauling and upgrading of Indian military aircraft. The HAL HF-24 Marut fighter-bomber was the first indigenous fighter aircraft made in India.
Domestic market
India is expected to overtake China and the United States as the world’s third-largest air passenger market in the next ten years, by 2030, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). India’s passenger* traffic stood at 115.37 million in FY21. Domestic passenger and international passenger traffic declined at a CAGR of -9.02% and -28.64%, respectively, from FY16 to FY21, owing to COVID-19-related restrictions on flights in FY21. In FY21, airports in India pegged the domestic passenger traffic to be ~105.2 million, a 61.7% YoY decline, and international passenger traffic to be ~10.1 million, an 84.8% YoY decline, over the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. In March 2021, the average daily passenger traffic stood at 546,702.90. Between FY16 and FY21, freight traffic declined at a CAGR of -1.77% from 2.70 million tonnes (MT) to 2.47 MT. Freight traffic on airports in India has the potential to reach 17 MT by FY40. Aircraft movement declined at a CAGR of -7.79% from 1.60 million in FY16 to 1.20 million in FY21. From FY16 to FY21, domestic aircraft movement decreased at a CAGR of -6.44% and international aircraft movement declined at a CAGR of -18.52%. India’s domestic and international aircraft movements reached 1,062 thousand and 135 thousand, respectively, in FY21.The expenditure of Indian travellers is expected to grow to Rs. 9.5 lakh crore (US$ 136 billion) by 2021. To cater to the rising air traffic, the Government of India has been working towards increasing the number of airports. As of 2020, India had 153 operational airports. India has envisaged increasing the number of operational airports to 190–200 by FY40. Further, the rising demand in the sector has pushed the number of airplanes operating in the sector. The number of airplanes is expected to reach 1,100 planes by 2027.
Key investments and developments in India’s aviation industry include:
- In June 2021, SpiceJet announced its ambitious target to fly 100 million domestic passengers on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF(sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a clean substitute for fossil jet fuels. Rather than being refined from petroleum, SAF is produced from sustainable resources such as waste oils from a biological origin, agri residues, or non-fossil CO2.)) blend by 2030 under the aegis of World Economic Forum (WEF).
Aviation currently accounts for approximately 2–3% of manmade global carbon emissions. Without timely action, aviation could consume up to 22% of the global carbon budget by 2050.
- In April 2021, Boeing, an aircraft manufacturer, announced that it has partnered with the Indian Aviation Academy (IAA) and the University of Southern California (USC) to conduct safety management system training sessions for all stakeholders in the domestic aviation industry.
- In March 2021, the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi announced a key expansion project to increase its passenger handling capacity. The expansion project includes a new terminal, advanced facilities, an additional runway and improved capacity to handle more passengers.
- In March 2021, the government announced plan to set up two water aerodroames in Assam and four water aerodromes in Andaman & Nicobar Islands this year to boost tourism and connectivity.
- In March 2021, the government submitted a proposal to develop a water aerodrome project at the Ujjani Dam, under the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s UDAN-RCS (regional connectivity scheme).
- On March 25, 2021, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the Kurnool Airport, Orvakal, Andhra Pradesh, in a virtual ceremony. The flight operations at Kurnool airport will commence on March 28, 2021 under the Regional Connectivity Scheme — Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN).
- On February 25, 2021, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued tenders for construction of the first phase of an international airport at Dholera in Gujarat, entailing an investment of Rs. 987 crore (US$ 135.07 million). The new facility is being set up in greenfield city under the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project at Dholera.
- On January 19, 2021, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) signed a concession agreement with Adani Group for three airports — Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram. The concession period is 50 years from the date of commercial operations.
- On December 21, 2020, IndiGo announced that it has collaborated with Urban Drive car rental company to offer self-driven and chauffeur driver services across 60 Indian cities.
- In October 2020, Zurich Airport International signed the concession agreement for the development of Jewar Airport on the outskirts of Delhi. The agreement has granted Zurich Airport International the licence to design, build and operate Noida International Airport (NIAL) for the next 40 years.
- In October 2020, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced plan to upgrade runways at seven airports across the country by March 2022.
- In January 2020, IndiGo became first Indian carrier to have an aircraft fleet size of 250 planes and became the first airline to operate 1,500 flights per day.
- AAI plans to invest Rs. 25,000 crore (US$ 3.58 billion) in next the five years to augment facilities and infrastructure at airports.
- UK group to invest Rs. 950 crore (US$ 135.9 million) in Turbo Aviation’s new airline TruStar.
Government Initiatives
Some major initiatives undertaken by the Government are:
- In August 2021, the government plans to implement a biometric boarding system using facial technology in six airports, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. The project is currently in the testing phase.
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) increased capacity of domestic flights to 65%, from 50%, effective from July 05, 2021.
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is hopeful that aspiring commercial pilots will soon be able to get trained in India without having to leave the country. In this regard, the government in July 2021 announced setting up eight new flying academies across the following five airports: Belagavi and Kalaburagi in Karnataka, Jalgaon in Maharashtra, Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, and Lilabari in Assam.
- On May 08, 2021, AAI commenced commercial operations at Rupsi airport — Northeast India’s 15th airport and Assam’s 7th airport.
- In March 2021, on the launch of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (India@75)’ by the Government of India, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has proposed 392 routes under the UDAN 4.1 bidding process.
- The Airport Authority of India plans to abolish royalty and offer steep discounts in lease rent to encourage MRO units to set up facilities at its airports.
- The government is planning to start 14 more water aerodromes across the country, after the successful launch of seaplane service by Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, between the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Gujarat’s Narmada district and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad in October 2020.
- In November 2020, the Government of India announced that it is likely to increase the total number of allowed domestic flights to 75% of the pre-COVID-19 levels, as it expects a rise in passenger numbers due to the festive and holiday season.
- In September 2020, the Government of India sanctioned Rs. 108 crore (US $ 14.73 million) for Jagdalpur, Ambikapur and Bilaspur airports in Chhattisgarh under the UDAN scheme for upgrade and development.
- Under Union Budget 2021–22, the government lowered the custom duty from 2.5% to 0% on components or parts, including engines, for manufacturing of aircrafts by public sector units of the Ministry of Defence.
- Under Union Budget 2021–22, the Indian government expanded the scope for ‘Krishi Udaan’ in convergence with Operation Green Scheme, wherein air freight subsidy of 50% for agri-perishables would be provided to North East states and 4 Himalayan states/UTs. The expansion of product-coverage will boost the ‘Krishi Udaan’ scheme and improve air cargo transportation from these states.
- In February 2019, the Government of India sanctioned the development of a new greenfield airport in Hirasar, Gujarat, with an estimated investment of Rs. 1,405 crore (US$ 194.73 million).
- Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) has been launched.
- Indian aviation industry
Recent market trends
Engines and aircraft become lighter, quieter and more efficient. Emerging technologies are reshaping with robotics, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, unmanned aircraft systems and the push for hybrid and electric airplanes — just to name a few.
Alternative fuels can significantly change the current scenario of aviation in support of the environmental protection. The vast investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data could be seen as a promising way of increasing safety, efficiency and sustainability. These technologies can help improve aviation infrastructure and airspace utilization.
And aviation is now going beyond mobility between continents and cities — it is starting to impact mobility within cities. These innovations relate primarily to moving goods for now — but they will quickly become viable for moving people as well
1: Smart Airports via Digitization The aviation industry has had no choice but to adapt to the “new normal.” Concerning airports, this has led to making everything as contactless and digital as possible.
For example, many airports have already revolutionized the check-in process to minimize human-to-human interaction. Today, at many airport locations, automated kiosks have taken the place of traditional check-in desks, and digital signage helps guide customers through the boarding process.
Other examples of increased digitization include security clearance and advanced object and body scanning technology, paperless boarding passes, and automated boarding process. These are all linked via IoT protocols and analyzed and deciphered by AI and machine learning algorithms, as we’ll now discuss.
#2: IoT and Cloud Technology aviation it trends cloud technology The entire aviation industry, like many others, is moving to the cloud. Not only does this help to reduce the most-criticized carbon footprint, but it also delivers many other tangible benefits.
Firstly, cloud-based networks will serve as the infrastructure for the myriad of IoT-enabled devices that are being installed across airports as we speak. The ability to track the passenger right through the check-in and boarding process autonomously provides several advantages, such as improved security.
Secondly, airports are costly operations themselves. Even just the slightest efficiency saving provided by IoT-enabled sensor-based PoE lighting can deliver considerable cost reductions.
#3: AI and Machine Learning aviation it trends ai and machine learning Continuing with the same theme, the above mentioned connected devices (along with the data they send to the cloud) will also provide the basis for artificially intelligent algorithms to sift through trillions of terabytes of data to unearth meaningful operational insights.
While a hospital may use machine-learning-based algorithms to deliver improvements in care, airports will have to use the same technology to deliver insights into retail spending, security processes, travel patterns, bathroom facilities, parking, check-in habits, and much more. Such a wide-ranging analysis can only be carried out simultaneously with the help of AI-based programs and machine learning algorithms.
However, it’s not just airports. Aviation manufacturing is also benefiting from the insights delivered by machine learning. For instance, GE uses machine learning and data analytics to identify faults in engines, increasing the life span of components and reducing maintenance costs. Boeing, by contrast, has successfully built machine-learning algorithms to design aircraft and automate factory operations.
#4: Social Distancing Technology While vaccination campaigns are making inroads against the threat posed by the virus, social distancing will remain for the foreseeable future. Airports have been one of the most visible proponents of social distancing tech.
Camera-enabled crowd-density monitors already help to control passenger flows through high-traffic areas. In other cases, radar and 3D sensors have been repurposed to improve physical distancing and manage people flows across terminals.
Other social distancing tech being introduced to airports across America include virtual queuing, security checkpoint reservations, and “bingo boarding,” which all help to reduce crowding at the traditional bottlenecks along the passenger journey. These innovations will prove crucial once passenger numbers return to what the figures were before the pandemic while the threat of the virus remains.
#5: Blockchain Almost all industries are experimenting with blockchain, and aviation is no different. Currently, blockchain’s use is most widespread in aircraft manufacturing.
Since the scandals relating to the 737 MAX, Boeing has been at the forefront of harnessing blockchain technology to keep an immutable and shareable record of aircraft parts and systems during manufacturing and maintenance. As a result, they are better able to predict maintenance events, optimize production operations, and extend the life cycle of specific parts.
Airbus, by contrast, is implementing blockchain-based solutions into its supply chain tracking and procurement departments and hopes to use this technology to facilitate quicker, more secure transactions as well as increased efficiencies up and down the chain.
#6: Sustainability The tangible improvement in many environmental measurements, which resulted from the vast majority of the world coming to a standstill for much of 2020, has increased the pressure on the aviation industry to do its part in the battle against climate change.
Information technology will be at the forefront of driving those changes and can have as meaningful an impact as finding more environmentally-friendly biofuels. Many airlines, such as Southwest, have already switched to paperless tickets and continue to make similar improvements to their ramp operations and reservation systems to reduce energy usage and carbon output.
That goes for manufacturing and operations, too. Many of the technologies mentioned above will converge to help dramatically increase plane fuel efficiency, eliminate waste, and decarbonize the industry.
#7: In-Flight Connectivity While many of the innovations we’ve spoken about thus far are aimed at increasing operational efficiency or capacity, many customer preference trends will continue to be served by advances in IT.
In-flight entertainment is one of those fields. Customers no longer desire complex seat-back computers running complex operations at hundreds of seats simultaneously — they expect them. Thus, airlines are scrambling this year to ensure that their in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems are appropriately matched to today’s consumer expectations.
That includes systems with hundreds of movies and TV shows to choose from, smartphone and tablet compatibility (including USB-C charging), interactive maps, surround-sound audio, and of course, in-flight wireless connectivity.
#8: Advanced Self-Service and Biometrics aviation it trends biometrics As highlighted above, a critical element of smart airports will come in the form of advanced self-service and biometrics technology. The frictionless and automated passenger experience of the future will come in the form of self-service kiosks loaded with biometric tech, such as facial recognition.
In some locations, it’s already being rolled out. For instance, Star Alliance airlines has developed a new full-interoperable biometric identity and identification platform that went live in Germany late last year and will come to the US within a few months. Spirit, on the other hand, has already rolled out biometric check-in at US airports to reduce face-to-face interaction. Meanwhile, the Fort Lauderdale airport (FLL) has introduced facial biometric check-in for cabin crew.
VINCI Airports has gone one step further by becoming the first airport operator in the world to deploy biometrics throughout the entire passenger journey from home to plane via its artificially intelligent travel assistant named Mona.
#9: Contactless Technology aviation it trends contactless technology Futuristic self-service concepts cannot function without contactless technology such as Near-Field Communication (NFC) and Radio-frequency Identification (RFID). They have a pivotal role to play as airports seek to reduce the number of physical interactions and checkpoints in the passenger journey.
By the end of this year, most US airports will incorporate contactless technology, particularly during check-in and security processes. But it goes beyond that. Contactless technology will shortly penetrate almost all aspects of flying, including how we pay for items, how we board a plane, and how we interact with in-flight entertainment systems.
Perhaps the most intriguing development is the current rollout of Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology across many airports, which eliminates the need for retail interactions altogether.
Reference
https://www.icao.int/Meetings/FutureOfAviation/Pages/default.aspx https://www.ibef.org/industry/indian-aviation.aspx#login-box https://www.networkcablingservices.com/9-it-trends-shaping-the-aviation-industry-in-2021/ https://robosoft.medium.com/10-emerging-technologies-that-are-reshaping-the-flying-experiences-for-the-airline-industry-4af86995315 https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economic-reports/airline-industry-economic-performance---april-2021---report/ important note https://careerinconsulting.com/market-sizing-questions/
